Alternative Christmas Dinner: A Low-Cost, Gluten-Free Menu with Dairy-Free Options

This Christmas, try this Alternative Christmas Dinner — a budget-friendly, three-course menu that everyone can enjoy. Start with a festive Christmas Salad with Clementines, Pecans and Prosciutto drizzled with a spiced balsamic vinaigrette, followed by a hearty Roast Turkey Leg with Apples and Onions and Honey Roasted Butternut Squash for the main course. Finish on a sweet note with spiced poached pears topped with a classic mascarpone sabayon. Gluten-free and dairy-free options are included, making it easy for the whole family to enjoy a delicious and allergy-conscious holiday meal.

Alternative christmas menu pinterest graphic in english

Below you will find six recipes that will help you create a delicious Christmas meal that will wow your guests. What’s more, each recipe is incredibly simple to make. The dessert can be made in advance and the rest comes together in just two hours!

So, let’s get right to the recipes!

Christmas Salad with Clementines, Pecans and Proscuitto

This bright and flavourful Christmas salad with clementines, pecans and prosciutto is a simple but impressive holiday starter. The sweet citrus, salty prosciutto and crunchy pecans work beautifully together, especially with a spiced balsamic dressing drizzled over the top. Serve it on its own for a light first course, or pair it with my caramelised onion and brie focaccia for something a little more substantial.

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Christmas Spiced Vinaigrette

This Christmas spiced vinaigrette brings festive warmth to any seasonal salad. With sweet balsamic, honey, and warming spices, it pairs beautifully with dishes that contain fruit like my Christmas Salad with Clementines, Pecans and Prosciutto. It’s a simple dressing that instantly adds a holiday touch to your table.

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Roast Turkey Leg With Apples and Onions

This Roast Turkey Leg with Apples and Onions is a simple, budget-friendly alternative to a whole bird but still brings festive flavour to the table. The savoury turkey pairs beautifully with sweet apples and lightly caramelised onions, and a quick creamy sauce makes the dish feel special with very little hands-on time.

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Butternut squash with honey roasted on a lined baking tray

Butternut Squash with Honey (Easy Roasted Side Dish)

This butternut squash with honey is a simple, reliable side dish that works with so many dinners. Roasted until lightly caramelised, the squash turns soft, sweet and full of flavour. With just honey, olive oil, salt and pepper, this butternut squash with honey is an easy option for a festive table or a fuss-free family meal, adding gentle sweetness and warm colour without any extra effort.

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Spiced Poached Pears

These spiced poached pears are an elegant, gently sweet dessert that makes a delicious and refreshing finish to a festive meal. Poached in a warm, subtly spiced syrup, they have a delicate flavour that pairs beautifully with this soft, creamy sabayon.

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Classic Sabayon

This classic sabayon is an easy, elegant dessert cream made with mascarpone, rich egg yolks and fluffy egg whites, lightly sweetened with sugar. It’s delicious served on its own, layered into tiramisu, or spooned over these spiced poached pears for a festive finish. A simple recipe that feels special with very little effort.

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Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Options

This whole menu is already gluten-free and the salad, salad dressing, honey roasted butternut squash and spiced poached pears are all naturally dairy-free.

To make the roasted turkey leg dairy free, simply omit the cream and serve the apples and onions as the sauce.

For the dessert, the pears taste amazing on their own, or you could serve them with a coating of melted dairy free dark chocolate to make them even more special. Unfortunately, it is not possible to make the sabayon dairy free.

This menu is also GAPS friendly if you omit the cream in the main course and the sabayon in the dessert. Check out these sugar free cookies which would be a great addition to serve alongside the pears.

Optional Extras

This menu is elegant, rich and delicious, but if you want to take it to the next level, or make the food go even further if you are serving a crowd, consider doing the following:

Serving bread with the Christmas salad, such as this fruit loaf or this festive focaccia.
Serving the roasted turkey leg with mashed potatoes and green beans.
Alternatively, serve the turkey course with chestnuts fried in butter. This is a more expensive option, but it adds an extra-special touch..
Serving the dessert with some delicious biscuits, such as these simple almond cookies or these sugar free cookies for a GAPS friendly option.

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Will you give this menu a go? Let me know in the comments which dish you tried!

Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Options

Optional Extras

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